Hive Fleet Erlik
Hive Fleet Erlik '''is one of the many tendrils of the Hive Mind's Tyranid invasion. First located on the Imperial Hive World of Bilup II in the year 992.M41, Hive Fleet Erlik's Tyranids were noted as being able to memorize individual locations, people and even items to the point that higher ranking warriors such as Hive Tyrants and Tyrant Guard are seen showing signs of holding grudges. Currently located within the Segmentum Obscurus, Hive Fleet Erlik is currently spending its time corrupting the planets of Obscurus in the name of the Hive Mind. History The invasion of Hive Fleet Erlik began around the same time the invasion of Hive Fleet Kraken, whose invasion would start around 250 years later after the conclusion of the First Tyrannic War, began. The armed forces stationed in Segmentum Obscurus were further strengthened, which members of the Imperium's Adeptus Administratum began to question the need for, arguing that Behemoth had been the sum total of the Tyranid speces' expansion into the Milky Way Galaxy. When worlds among Obscurus began to suddenly disappear under mysterious circumstances, the very same Adepts chalked it up to the foul and dark works of the forces of Chaos. The Inquisition's Ordo Hereticus became suspicious of the Adepts' dissent and their downplaying of the situation on the Segmentum Obscurus, and began an investigation, which established that all of the dissenting Adepts had either come from the southeastern region of the galaxy or had travelled there at some time. This was the only link between the members that could be found, and some had never even met each other. Inquisitors were also deployed to investigate the planets of the Segmentum Obscurus that were most troubled. Measures were set up to prevent more worlds, primarily those surrounding Cadia, from disappearing: Chapters, Regiments and Sister Orders already present on Segmentum Obscurus were told to patrol the area and purge any threats they come across, lest more planets suffer the same fate as the ones already lost to the void. Unfortunately for the Segmentum, by early 992.M41, Hive Fleet Erlik had already sunk its claws into Obscurus itself, isolating many Imperial worlds within the Segmentum before any astropathic warnings could be sent and leaving before anyone even had the time to notice their untimely arrival. Like their predecessor, Hive Fleet Behemoth, Hive Fleet Erlik fought in a single wave but with one, major change: Its fleet was smaller and, therefore, faster. This resulted in Hive Fleet covering a significantly smaller area than its predecessor but also allowed it to leave the planets it consumed before any nearby Imperials even noticed the eerie presence of the Shadow in The Warp the Tyranids utilize. In what appeared to be a few hours but felt like years, an entire Imperial sector was silenced from Terra, isolated from Astropaths' messages of warning by the potent power of the Hive Mind. Only several solar months after the beginning of Hive Fleet Erlik's slaughter would the accounts of the first few survivors reach the wider Imperium. Whole planets were wiped out by the Hive Fleet Erlik within the Segmentum Obscurus and it seemed that, left unchecked, the foul tendrils of Erlik would soon unleash doom upon the galaxy at large. When news of the Hive Fleet Erlik's existence reached the wider Imperium, the holy armies of the Emperor were sent to the Segmentum Obscurus to deal with this substantially sized threat. The first fair fight the Imperium would have against the horrid abominations of Hive Fleet Erlik was on the world of Bilup II, a Hive World who was thought to be second only to Terra in population. By the time the 2nd Company of the Silver Chariots Chapter and the Order of the Unforgivable Truths reached the planet, it had been taken over by its own Planetary Defense Force and martial law had been declared. Surprisingly, the Imperial forces that came to Bilup II found the soldiers of the Planetary Defense Force to be exceptionally friendly. Their leader, General Alessi, explained to Captain Polnareff of the Silver Chariots that martial law was declared because Governor Odio revealed herself to be a worshipper of the Blood God Khorne and tried to convince the people of Bilup II to betray the Imperium. As a result, General Alessi and those loyal to him in the Planetary Defense Force stormed her palace and killed her for the heresies she had committed: Martial law was not declared as means of taking over, but rather as means of keeping Bilup II going until a new Governor was elected. Captain Polnareff explained the situation to the PDF General, who seemed expectedly worried by the fact that a Hive Fleet ravaged the Segmentum he called home. As a result, the three forces joined together in the fortification of Bilup II. Kill zones were created, mines were set up and the heavy weapons were placed where the fighting would be the thickest. However, much to the confusion of the Imperial forces, no Tyranid threat ever arrived. The Imperials waited for days, months even, without a seeing a single one of the foul xenos abominations. One morning however, everything changed when the forces of the Imperium woke up to the sound of a single Autocannon firing, followed by the sound of an armored figure collapsing. Said armored figure was Canoness Mariah, who was in charge of the Battle Sisters on Bilup II. Before anyone could react, they found themselves being assaulted by the Planetary Defesne Force from all sides. Using the heavy weaponry and their knowledge on the fortifications to their advantage, the Bilupian Planetary Defense Force pushed back the Imperial forces without any significant casualties. This was when Mycetic Spores started falling from the sky and a terrible truth was revealed: The Planetary Defense Force of Bilup II was working with the Tyranids, only helping prepare the defenses to turn them against the Imperials. The biomorphs of Hive Fleet Erlik tore themselves out of their spores, marching alongside their allies in the Planterary Defense Force while devouring everything in their path. The combined forces of the Silver Chariots and the Unforgivable Truths fought valiantly and, though they did not succeed in destroying the xenos beasts and their allies, managed to escape from their grasp for some time. Much to the dismay of the Imperials however, Hive Fleet Erlik would not give up on their chase for long. Devouring their mortal allies in the Planetary Defense Force, the biomorphs of Hive Fleet Erlik spat forth more lethal abominations to join them in their assault. Led by the Supreme Beast of Erlik, the most powerful Hive Tyrant in the Hive Fleet, the biomorphs of Erlik fell upon the bloodied Imperials without a second thought. The fight between the two sides was bloody and long, but it was only a matter of time before it ended. Eventually forced to retreat off world, the Imperials did not leave before dealing one final blow to their most hated adversaries. Firing a Lascannon shot directly into its skull, Devastator Battle Brother Azazel successfully slew the Supreme Beast of Erlik before he and his Battle Brothers, alongside the remaining Battle Sisters of the Unforgivable Truths, fled from the planet. Their problems did not end here however: The Imperials expected the Tyranids to devour Bilup II and move onto another planet, but the forces of Erlik had other ideas... The survivors' trip to Agamemnon, the homeworld of the Silver Chariots, was uneventful. Captain Polnareff intended on returning to his homeworld, rallying his brothers and taking down the vile Hive Fleet Erlik for good. Soon after making planetfall however, the few Librarians of the Silver Chariots began to feel the presence of the Shadow in the Warp. As Agamemnon lied in the Eastern Fringes of the galaxy, the Silver Chariots simply assumed that Hive Fleet Kraken was the cause of this disturbance and prepared their defenses accordingly. However, what arrived was a surprise that the Silver Chariots were not prepared for. The Tyranids coming to Agamemnon were not of Hive Fleet Kraken, but instead of Hive Fleet Erlik. Though there were several planets between Bilup II and Agamemnon, Erlik had chosen to leave them be and follow after their Imperial adversaries. The fact that Erlik chose to follow the fleeing survivors instead of devouring nearby planets was considered confirmation that Hive Fleet Erlik was smarter than its fellows and had the ability to hold grudges against those that stood in the way of its galactic devouring. It appeared that the biomorphs of the Hive Fleet sought to get revenge for the temporary death of their Supreme Beast, as the first thing they did when they made planetfall was to attack the Silver Chariots 2nd Company. Fortunately for the Hive Fleet and unfortunately for the Silver Chariots, its 2nd Company would not put up the fight expected from them. However, the Silver Chariots were not to blame for their easy fall, for Erlik had brought in a bioform the likes of which the Imperium had not seen before. Referred to as the Seeder Crone, this vile Hive Crone mutation is capable of shooting out smaller bio-forms via the cannon on its back, allowing it to shoot its Tyranid brethren into enemy lines or at enemy aircraft. As a Chapter reliant on air superiority and siege tactics, this creature was the last thing the Silver Chariots wanted to fight. Using its Seeder Crones to make the Silver Chariots 2nd Company's air superiority and siege work null and void, Hive Fleet Erlik forced the proud Astartes into a hasty retreat throught the planet. As they retreated to their Fortress Monastery, the Silver Chariots 2nd Company was continiously attacked by the smaller, faster bio-forms of the vile Hive Fleet. Eventually, the Silver Chariots had to retreat no longer. The rest of the Silver Chariots chapter, as well as the Battle Sisters of the Unforgivable Truths, had prepared their forces nearby a statue erected on the planet to commemorate the alliance of two Chapters: The Silver Chariots and the Red Warlocks. Understrength as a result of previous campaigns, the Silver Chariots had no option but to send out a desperate request for assistance, sacrificing the well-being of many of their Navigators to accomplish the task most holy. Unfortunately however, it seemed that, unless the Red Warlocks answered the call for assistance as early as they could, the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Erlik would win. Losing many of their men, the Silver Chariots 2nd Company chose to stay in the backlines and provide fire support for their allies rather than stay in the thick of the fight. The Chapter assumed this would result in the Hive Fleet trying to force their way through the Imperial lines in a futile attempt to kill their adversaries in the 2nd Company and, for a while, it seemed like that truly was the case. It appeared as though the vile Tyranids were throwing everything they had at their lines, not even thinking twice about their actions. It was then that a Silver Chariots Battle-Brother realized something and brought it up to his superior officer: The Tyranids of Erlik were not led by a Hive Tyrant and, yet, they were acting as though a leading creature was nearby. Where had their Tyrant gone? Before the Silver Chariots could find the answer to this question, the answer came to them at lightning speeds. The Tyranids that were trying to force their way through the Imperial's firing lines were mere decoys, used to allow the larger bulk of the Hive Fleet to flank their enemies from behind. Encircled by the foul xenos abominations, the Silver Chariots fought in a desperate last stand. Fortunately for them, reinforcements had arrived in the form of the entire Red Warlocks Chapter. Retreating to their allies' lines, the Silver Chariots and the Battle Sisters of the Unforgivable Truths explained the situation most dire to their comrades so that they may not have similiar disasters befall them. After some time, Hive Fleet Erlik found where their enemies retreated and fell upon them once more. However, the combined power of the siege crafting Silver Chariots and the psychically superior Red Warlocks were not to be found wanting and slowed the Tyranid advance into a grinding halt. At least, that is what the Imperials thought they had done. The mighty and cocksure forces of the Imperium would not fall for the same trick twice. They knew that Hive Fleet Erlik was utilizing a decoy force so that the main force might flank unhindered. As a result, the Imperials set up traps in all available flank routes to prevent such a thing from happening or, at the very least, significantly weaken the main force of the Hive Fleet. However, the main force would not come from the north, the south, the west or the east... It would come from directly below them. Instead of trying to brute-force their way through the traps or disarm them, the forces of Hive Fleet Erlik simply chose to bypass all of them by digging until they reached their Imperial adversaries. It would seem that the Imperials, though desperate, would lose this war and leave two Chapters extinct. However, the Imperials were not ones to give up. The last remaining psykers of the Silver Chariots, Red Warlocks and the Unforgiving Truths gathered together and channeled their powers together to create an effect that, while it would kill the whole lot of them, would also kill a significant portion of the Hive Fleet's forces. As the psychic screams of the dying Imperial psykers filled the air, many of the Tyranids near the blast zone fell. However, this damage was not important to the forces of Hive Fleet Erlik: They had slaughtered their enemies to extinction and their grudges were no more. Though the Hive Fleet tried to lick its wounds and regain its numbers, it would soon find itself in the way of the most glorious Indomitus Crusade. Chasing after the Fallen Angels known simply as The Mad, the Hive Fleet suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of the Unnumbered Sons that they would come across. Ironically enough, the Hive Fleet tracked The Mad all the way back to the now Dead World of Agamemnon where, after a fierce battle, the forces of Hive Fleet Erlik would learn a most horrid truth: In their chase, they did not realize that The Mad succeeded in wearing them out significantly. Though the forces of Erlik managed to win against The Mad, it was a prryhic one at best and one that saw the once mighty forces of Erlik reduced to a shadow of it what once was. Fortunately for the Hive Fleet, they had found just the places to lick their wounds: The Space Hulks Bane of Morkai and Blissful Ignorance, which they had corrupted during their chase of The Mad. Now they hide in their Space Hulks, waiting for the day that they will exact revenge upon the Unnumbered Sons for their crimes. Tactics Hive Fleet Erlik begins its wars against humans by first sending its Genestealers to find the strongest yet most easily corruptable inhabitants of the planet it laid its eyes upon to make them the elite of the upcoming Genestealer Cult. Once these powerful figures gain a large enough following to rebel, Hive Fleet will then come down to assist their Cultists. Once Hive Fleet Erlik comes down to assist the Genestealer Cult it has created or if it never tried to precisely corrupt the planet and made planetfall to devour everything before it, it is brutally straightforward in battle. Hive Fleet Erlik believes that strength in numbers can and will win battles and thus relies on large units, such as Carnifexes, Tyrgons and Haruspexes, and follows it up with Tyranid Warriors, Termagaunts and Hormogaunts to create an unstoppable tide for the enemy to drown in. Instead of utilizing the bigger creatures as distractions while the smaller ones do all of the actual damage, Erlik instead utilizes the bigger creatures to wipe the floor with its enemies while the smaller ones devour the remainders. This ensures that every gigantic strain deployed by Erlik gets to carry out missions that aren't just acting as distractions for smaller strains. Fleet Hive Fleet Erlik currently lacks any Hive Ships, instead utilizing two gigantic Space Hulks liberated from the hands of Erlik's enemies as its fleet. Originally, Hive Fleet Erlik's was somewhat comparable to that of Hive Fleet Leviathan when it first entered the Milky Way Galaxy but now it is an unfortunate shadow of its former self. Erlik's presence in these two Space Hulks is not without problems however, as both Space Hulks are still infested with Orks. Though the constant fighting strengthens the both factions, it also prevents both sides from ever leaving the hulk as both sides are spending everything they have at their disposal in a feeble attempt at crushing the other. Unique Strains * '''Ignisgon: '''The fearsome Ignisgon is an evolution of the already terrifying Trygon. These creatures are the same in appearance to the Trygon in every way except for their red, glowing veins. Whenever an Ignisgon attacks, its talons release an unknown type of red liquid that, once it comes into contact with the ionised spray Trygons release, engulfs those around the Ignisgon in a flame capable of melting even the finest set of Power Armor. However this liquid, interestingly enough, is completely ineffective against Tyranid bio-forms whether it comes into contact with a Trygon's inoised spray or not. * '''Flator: The Flator is a rather unimpressive evolution of the Lictor. This creature, like the İgnisgon, is alike its ancestor in appearance except for the green liquid dripping from the Flator's tentacles that changes color when the Flator changes color. This terrifying beast serves the exact same purpose as its ancestor except, once it is caught, it will explode and release a green liquid. Though this liquid does not seem harmless at first, coming into contact with it even for a second can spell disaster for the one that came into contact with it and for those around him, her or it. As soon as the liquid touches anything, it will release brain-eating parasites onto the body it has come into contact with. After a few minutes these brain-eating parasites will begin eating away at their host's brain, causing them severe headaches. If the host is not moved away from their comrades in arms, the brain parasites will eventually re-produce too much to stay in one host's brain and move to the brains of other hosts via air or water. Once these brain-eating parasites are fully done devouring the brain of their host, they will explode and leave the body of their host in unrecognizable ruin. * 'The Seeder Crone: '''An evolution of the Hive Crone, the Seeder Crone is an odd one. On its back, it carries a cannon similar to that of the Pyrovore, however this cannon is not used in the same way a Pyrovore would use it. Instead, this cannon is used to launch bio-forms smaller than the Crone such as Hormogaunts and Rippers. This allows Hive Fleet Erlik to launch small bio-forms at enemy fliers it cannot take care of and kill its crew, thus rendering the flier a non-threat. Quotes About Hive Fleet Erlik ''Feel free to add your own! Category:Tyranid Hive Fleets Category:Tyranids Category:Xenos